Improvement in railway cars



l. G. MACFARLAN E.

Improvement in Railway-Cars.

No. 125,959, Patented-Aprilzansvz.

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JMJ@ Mam@ ISAIAH Gr. MACFARLANE, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,969, dated April 23, 1872.

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To all whom may it concern:

Be it known that I, ISAIAH GRAHAM MAC- FARLANE, of Wilk'msburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad Car; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompany ing drawin gformin g apart of this specification, in which- Figure l is perspective view, partly broken away, of my improved car-body. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same through wx, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My invention relates to that class of railroad freight-cars which maybeused either for dump` ing or shoveling, and by the peculiar construction of which, as hereinafter described, I obtain both these desired results, together with the requisite strength and durability.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will describe its construction and use.

The frame-work of the car consists, first, of the bottom rails a a, which run from end to end near the center, and carry the bumpers a a at their extremities; second, ofthe bolsters c c, which extend across just under the ends of the body D, and are secured to the bottom rails a a, by bolts, and, by means of the bolster-stakes c1 and braces c2, aid in sustaining` the side rails e; third, ofthe side rails e, which extend along the side of the car, and are conneeted together attheir ends by the crosstiesf; and, fourth, of the braces g, which extend diagonally upward from the point of conjunction between tlie bottom rails a a, and bolsters c c to the point of conjunction between the bolster-stakes c1I c1 and side rails ee, and aidin supporting the side rails e e. The braces g operateto transfer much of the weight which, in cars of the ordinary construction, bears almost entirely upon the ends of the bolsters, to the bottom rails a a at the center of the car, and, in connection with the rods l and n, hereinafter described, sustain the ends of the bolsters c. The frame is further strengthened by the iron rods k k, which extend, one on each side of the car, along the rails a from the bumpers a a', over the braces g g, and under the crosstie k; by the rods ZZ, which extend across the car from the bolster-stakes c1 through the braces g g and bottom rails a a; and by the rods a a, which extend from the top of the side rails down along the sides of the bolster-stakes 01 01 to the holsters e c. Extending across the center of the bodyD is a girder, m, which strengthens the center of the car. The cross-ties fare sustained by the posts j7 j which rest upon the bottom rails a a. The bodyD is hopper-shaped, and is formed by nailing or otherwise fastening the boards or metal plates composing the sides d a-nd ends d1 to the bottom rails mand side rails e e and crossties f f. The sides may be extended vertically above the side rails e e, as at cl2, and downward at the bottom, as shown at {13,if desired. Hinged to the lower edge of the bottom rails aa., on the exterior ofthe body, are two pairs of trap-doors, h h, which, when closed, form the bottom of the car. These doors open downward, and are held shut by the support or cross-bar h', which is hinged to one bottom rail, a, on one side, and is held or supported by the hook c', extending down from the other bottom rail a on the opposite side. When the support-bar h is disengaged from the hook li, and allowed to drop, the trap-doors h h open, and permit the contents of the car to come or drop through the open bottom. The devices constitute my arrangement for dumping. Heretofore in cars of this kind, having dumping doors in the bottom, the doors have been secured by means of a link and pin, a chain connected with a ratchet and pawl, or other like device, placed inside of the car. Such devices are very frequently damaged bythe freight in the car, while they interfere with the operation of dumping and shovelin g. The interior of my car-body is entirely free from machinery, so that I avoid all these difficulties. In each of the inclined ends of the body D I make a door, o, which is hinged at its inner end, o', and opens downward. When open, the door is supported by the stringersp, which extend inward from the bumpers a until they reach the inclined ends d1 d1. In iront ofthe door o, hinged to the rails a af, is a movable platform, p1, which, when thel `door o is open, is thrown out, as shown at p2, so as to project beyond the end of the rails a a, and afford a place to stand upon for convenience in shoveling. When the door o is closed, the platform is turned in, and rests upon the stringersp, as shown at p3. The space between the posts f' and the inclined ends d1 is closed up by boards, so as to limit the passage from the end of the car to or nearly to the Width of the door o.

lf it is desired to shovel from the car coal, sand, or freight of like nature, the platform 101 is thrown out to the position shown at p2, and the door o opened. Then the operator, standing on the platform p1, is enabled to shovel from the car with ease. The door ois fastened in any convenient way, as, for instance, by a link and pin, as shown at r. Y This ear is not only adapted to carrying coal, sand, and other material of like nature, but to carrying freight of many other kinds. By opening` both doors o o, it may be used for carrying railroad rails and bar-iron. Vhen used for freight of smaller bulk, as barrels, Snc., the car may be loaded and unloaded through the doors o. Among the advantages arising` from the peculiar construction of my car is, is that the interior of the body d is entirely free from ma-L chinery, so that the handling of the freight is not interfered with, and the car does not easily get out of order. Also, in dumping, the contents of the car are emptied in the center of the track, and do not fall upon and clog up the rails 5 and, as the incline of the sides and ends is steep, the entire contents of the car are emptied wit-hout difliculty. 1n shoveling coal it is impossible to Work to advantage unless the shovel can be inserted under the coal on the bottom of the car. This I am enabled to do by means of the doors o, which, opening downward, lie under the coal, and afford an opening to the bottom of the car.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In the construction of railroad cars, the braces g, in combination with the bottom rails La and side rails e e, substantially as described.

2. The braces g and rods la, in combination with the side rails e e, bottom rails t a, and bolster c, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The end doors o, arranged and operating substantially as described, so as to form a platform for shoveling and loading and unloading the car d.

4, `The movable platform p1, in combination with the door o, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I, the said ISAIAH GRA- HAM MAGFARLANE, have hereunto set my hand.

ISAIAH G. MACFARLANE. Witnesses:

A. S. NICHOLSON, Trios. B. KEER. 

